Authors: Candace Havens
When his hand brushed her breast she pushed herself more fully into his palm. He squeezed her and then moved to her other breast repeating his machinations. Patience’s desire surged into overdrive. She wanted to feel him inside of her.
She reached down to feel the length of him, but he gently pushed her hand away. “I’m barely in control as it is,” he murmured against her lips.
“I don’t want us to be in control right now,” she said honestly.
Their kisses intensified to the point where everything became blurred as she lost focus. Cade pulled away for a second and she moaned her disappointment.
Pulling himself up onto the truck, he grabbed a blanket from the toolbox and spread it over the truck bed. Patience crawled onto the blanket. They watched each other for a moment, and then she leaned down to tug off one cowboy boot and then the other.
Cade followed her motions. She slid her jeans down and slipped off her T-shirt leaving nothing but a pink lacy bra and panties.
Hunger grew in his eyes and a slight flush tinged her body when she realized that look was for her. Well, the huge tent in his gray boxers was also a big clue. She positioned herself on the blanket and reached up to him.
“You’re so beautiful.”
“I don’t need flattery, only you,” she said.
“But you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”
Her heart fluttered and Patience was sure her face had turned a lovely shade of fuchsia. No one called her beautiful. She was stuck-up, frigid and cold—she’d heard those words plenty of times. But Cade didn’t see her that way. Heat bloomed within her.
He knelt down. “Are you sure?” The naked desire in his eyes heated her body to the core.
She reached for him again.
Cade lay down beside her. As his tongue pushed between her teeth, his hand moved up and down her thigh. He reached the top of her panties and pushed them down her legs. When his fingers touched her heat she arched. He found the nub filled with nerves and his hand soon had her panting.
“Cade, please,” she begged.
“Please, what?”
“I need you inside me now.”
His hand didn’t stop.
Patience grabbed the blanket as she cried out her orgasm. “Please, now. Please.”
Cade removed his boxers, then reached into his jeans pocket to pull out a foil packet. She didn’t know when he’d put it there, but she was grateful. That he’d planned ahead of time meant their thoughts had been on the same path. He wanted her, and that gave her a new sense of power.
She took the packet from him and rolled the condom over the length of him. As she guided him into her, she couldn’t help extending her hand up and down his hardness.
“If you don’t let go, this will end a lot faster than either of us wants it to,” Cade warned, as he nibbled her ear.
She instantly let go.
“I want to take it slow with you, hon.”
She shook her head digging her fingernails into his shoulders. “No. Now,” she said. “Later we can do it slow. Right now I need you to fill me up, Cade.”
Desire flashed in his eyes. He was so thick that she worried for a split second, but her body opened to him as if it had been waiting forever. He met her furious pace thrust for thrust.
She shuddered with an orgasm and begged him to come with her, but he wasn’t finished with her yet.
Cade’s hips moved even faster. Her body arched as she reached the precipice and finally he gave her that final release. With her legs wrapped around his waist, she heard him moan, although it sounded as if it were coming from a long distance away. Her body was liquid fire.
“Cade,” she cried out.
“Patience,” he groaned out her name as he emptied himself inside of her.
For a moment she wasn’t sure she was still on planet Earth.
Cade collapsed on top of her. “I’d planned to take that a little slower.” He kissed her chin.
“That isn’t what I wanted,” she said as she ran her fingers through his hair. “It seems wrong to say thank you, but that, well, that was nothing short of mind-blowing.”
He chuckled. “I feel like I should be the one saying thanks, you are something else.”
Patience rolled onto her side to face him. “I wanted you to make love to me this morning, but you ran off.”
He smoothed a hand up and down her arm and smiled. “I wanted the same thing, but you’d had a tough night and I didn’t feel right taking advantage of you.”
“You wouldn’t have been.”
“If it helps, I was having a really hard time keeping my hands off of you. And when I say hard…”
This time she laughed. “Oh.”
That’s why he had his back to me when he walked to the next room.
The sun beat down on them, and Patience realized she was about to get sunburned in places that had never seen its rays. “I guess I should get back to the courthouse,” she said as she shook out her clothes. “And I still need to talk to the sheriff.”
Cade was dressing, too. “While you talk to the sheriff, I’ll run to the hardware store and then I can help you at the courthouse. But if the records are missing, isn’t it kind of a mute point?”
Patience frowned. “No, I had a message from my friends at Stonegate this morning. From what they said, this kind of stuff gets misfiled all the time. So I need to go through more of the boxes.”
“We’ll go through them.” He leaned over and kissed her.
“Okay.”
He held her close and deepened the kiss, and she lost herself in him once again.
Suddenly, Patience let out a soft groan.
“What’s wrong?”
She pointed to a large sign on the door. The courthouse was closed for the weekend.
“Who closes shop at noon on Thursday?”
“My guess is they want to give people time to get ready for the beginning of the festival tonight.”
“Now what am I supposed to do?”
Cade’s mind flashed to her naked body in the back of the truck, but he needed to stay focused. There was a lot at stake in the investigation. And now there were even more questions than answers.
“We could get some lunch and talk about what you’ve found so far,” Cade suggested.
There was a long silence.
“I’m not really hungry right now. I’d like to get back to the B and B, talk with some of the Stonegate investigators.”
Patience continued to look out the window. He’d give anything to know what she was thinking, but he also knew this wasn’t the right time. She was edgy about something. “Maybe we could do a conference call. I’d like to be involved,” he said as they pulled up in front of the B and B.
Patience jumped out of the vehicle quickly. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Since you’re a client, it’s best to inform you when we actually have something. That way, you don’t get your hopes up or read too much into things.”
The way she said, “read too much into things” caused his jaw to harden. “Are we talking about the case or are we talking about what just happened with us?”
“Cade, I really don’t have time for this.”
He was around the truck before she could get to the porch steps. “Don’t shut me out, Patience. Not now.”
She shook her head. “Cade, I’m sorry. Listen, we’re just two people who needed comfort. I’m grateful to you for that, but it can’t continue. I need to concentrate on solving what happened to your father.”
“So we used each other and now we move on? That’s your plan?” The words sounded bitter, but he couldn’t help it. What they’d shared was way more than comfort, whether she was willing to admit it or not.
“Yes. I’ll see you later.” She darted past him and into the B and B.
That was it; he’d finally figured it out. She was scared.
She’d said more than once that she wasn’t exactly a people person—still, she could think she was a loner all she wanted, he’d been there and knew differently.
So Cade would change her mind.
“Are you thinking about the case?”
An older gentleman stood next to her and she searched her memory for his name. “I should be, but the science part of my brain is having fun watching the family dynamics here.”
The older man chuckled. “I don’t know about any of them being dynamic, but they’re good kids.”
Uncle Jake. She finally remembered his name. This probably wasn’t the right time or place but, more than anything, she wanted to ask him about Cade’s father. They were brothers and there was a good chance he might recall something important to the investigation. Just as she opened her mouth to ask him about the time before Joseph died, someone called out to her.
“Hey, Curly, toss me one of those beers you brought,” said Logan Randall from his inner tube on the lake.
Patience reached into the cooler for the beer and tossed it to him.
“Whoa, good throw. She’s on my team for the softball game,” Logan announced.
“That’s not happening,” Cade interjected. He’d been very protective of her since they arrived. He probably thought she would feel overwhelmed and on any other day he would be right. But his cousins’ good-natured ribbing made her feel welcome.
“Fight ya for her.” Logan slid his expensive sun glasses up and winked at Patience. She couldn’t help but laugh.
“Now, now, boys. No need to fight over fresh meat,” Kent announced from his inner tube.
“Hey, watch it, Kent, or you’ll find yourself down at the other end of the river where the gators like to hang out,” Cade warned. “She’s not meat.”
Kent dipped his ball cap toward Patience. “Apologies, ma’am.”
Another female at the picnic besides GG, which the woman had insisted Patience call her, was the owner of the diner, Charli. Patience tried to help the women set up the food when she arrived with Cade, but they had shooed her away so he could introduce her to the rest of the family.
Since they’d arrived, his arm seldom left her shoulders. At first she thought their lovemaking had been born out of their mutual pain, a one-time thing to comfort each another. Cade seemed to have other ideas about that. She’d wanted the man from the moment she’d met him. This kind of intimacy was new to her, and she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.
She’d dated, though not much in the last few years. But one-night stands with no emotional attachments were usually more in her comfort zone. This—well, whatever she’d shared with Cade—was different.
She glanced up to find him watching her again with a big smile on his face.
“What?”
Before he could answer, GG ordered, “Cade, you and Logan arrange picnic tables so we can all eat together.”
The other men pulled their floats and inner tubes up to the sandy beach and gathered around the table.
It wasn’t long before stories about the cousins, including Cade, were flowing.
Jarrod chuckled. “Hey, Cade, do you remember that time you came in with a handful of garden snakes and put them in the crisper to see if they’d hibernate? GG went to make a salad and it’s the only time we’ve ever heard her scream.”
“Critters nearly jumped from the crisper they were in such a hurry to get out.” GG snickered. “Opened the drawer expecting to see celery, and you can imagine my surprise.”
“I don’t blame you. I don’t mind snakes but to find one in the fridge would be disconcerting to say the least,” Patience agreed.
“Cade spent four hours scrubbing every inch of the fridge with a toothbrush and cleanser,” Logan interjected. “I think he learned his lesson about outside creatures staying outside.”
Kent nodded. “Yeah, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the time Logan jumped off the roof into the pile of manure and slid into the—”
GG clapped her hands loudly interrupting Kent. “You boys hush up that talk. This is not proper dinner conversation,” she said as they all sat down. Cade grabbed her hand as did Logan and then everyone bent their heads for prayer.
Patience was fond of meditation and considered herself a spiritual person. She liked that these rowdy boys settled for a quiet moment as their grandmother said a blessing.
Everyone yelled, “Amen,” and that’s when the real fun began. They all talked at once and the food was passed in a counterclockwise circle.
This wasn’t like any picnic Patience had ever been to. The table was so full of food there was barely any room for the plates. There were three giant foil containers of barbecued brisket and ribs, along with ten different side dishes and seven pies.
“I can’t believe they made all this food,” she whispered to Cade.
“Just wait, with this crowd there won’t be any leftovers.” He piled a giant spoonful of potato salad on his plate. “We Randalls know how to eat.”
The man didn’t lie. If she hadn’t seen it for herself, Patience wouldn’t have believed it.
As soon as the last person was done, everyone stood up and cleared the table, tossing the plates into the trash and repacking the dishes. Patience tried to help, but Logan gently pushed her back onto the picnic bench. “Guests don’t clean,” he informed her.
Five minutes later everything was done and the tables wiped clean. Then the men went down to the lake and started tidying up all over again.
“Wow. You really do have them well trained, especially the guys,” Patience said in awe.
“Firm hand is all it takes,” GG said. “They lived all over the country growing up, but I had them most summers, sometimes all at once. Never had to swat a one of them, but I was always consistent. They’re all good boys, my grandsons, but like most men they need some gentle guidance.”
Charli laughed. “I don’t know about gentle. She’d make them do chores until they fell into bed at night. They were so tired they could barely hold their heads up at the dinner table.”
GG winked at her. “Well, hard work is good for a man, and look at them. They’re all successful in their own way. That comes from a solid foundation.”
Charli hugged her grandmother. “You definitely gave us that.” She stood up. “Well, I better get back to the diner. I’m sure Rissa is cussing me out for leaving her in charge of the lunch shift on a festival Thursday.”
“This might not be the best time, but, GG, can I ask you a question?” Patience spoke softly so the others couldn’t hear her.
GG took her hand. “What’s on your mind?”
“I need to ask you about your son, Joseph.”
GG’s lips became a straight line across her face, but she nodded to Patience to go ahead.
“Do you know if there was someone who might have wanted to cause him harm? Maybe he had a falling-out with someone?”
“I’ve been racking my brain ever since Beau told me about finding Joseph.” She held on to Patience’s hand a little tighter. “I’m an old woman and that was a long time ago but, to be honest, Joseph was very much his own man. If he had trouble with someone, he wouldn’t have mentioned it to me and would have handled it on his own. I can tell you, even though he was my son, he could be hardheaded sometimes. Cade gets his stubbornness from his father.” She paused to look out at her children and grandchildren.
Patience could see from the older woman’s expression that she was recalling memories.
“I’m sorry I ruined your lovely picnic with the investigation,” Patience said. “I should have waited until we were back at the B and B.”
“No, girl, you are doing your job. Don’t apologize to me. You know, around that time there was a bit of a scuttlebutt over the county laying down pipes for waterlines. I don’t remember the details, as I wasn’t the mayor back then. But I think some of the ranchers were upset because they were worried that the county might be tapping into private wells.”
“Okay, well, I’ll definitely look into that.” Patience’s gut was sending her signals again. She just wasn’t sure what they meant.
“I’ve said my goodbyes, I’m off.” Charli leaned down to give her grandmother a hug. “Oh, and I’ll see you at the dance tonight.” She pointed to Patience. “I promise you’re going to have the time of your life.”
“Dance?”
“Yes, and don’t worry, you already have a date,” Cade said behind her.
She twisted around on the bench so she could see him. “Funny, I don’t remember anyone asking me to a dance.”
“Hmm, in that case how about—” An elbow in the ribs from Cade interrupted Logan.
“Patience, will you go to the dance with me?” Cade asked formally.
Teasing him, she glanced at Logan and back at Cade as if she were trying to make a decision. Then she shrugged. “I guess so.”
Logan snorted with laughter. “Doesn’t sound like she’s too excited about the prospect.”
Cade smirked at his cousin, then smiled at her. “I guess I’ll have to do my best to make sure you know just how fun a date I can be.” His voice was lower and had the husky tone it had when they were making love.
Patience held up her hand so he could help her off the bench. He pulled her up to him.
“I’m looking forward to it,” she said as she pushed away from his chest. “There’s just one thing.”
“What’s that?” His face had turned serious and she knew he was worried that she was looking for a way out of the event.
“I don’t know how to dance.”